


Do (not) reset

by fourangers



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Angst, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Romance, little lime, married!SNS, ninjaverse AR, pre-698, reincarnations fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-12 12:39:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15995402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fourangers/pseuds/fourangers
Summary: "So weird right…" He breathed out. "If only that moment could last forever…"Sasuke seized him, one hand holding his nape as he deepened the kiss. He grunted when Naruto tilted his head, interlocking their mouths perfectly. With a sharp inhale, his hands wound up to hold Naruto's waist, moaning, soaking up all the close warmth. Fingers clutched desperately, as if Naruto was his lifeline. As if Naruto was his sole reason for existence.





	Do (not) reset

" _I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." He cradled the motionless body close, tears streaming down his face._

"Wake the fuck up Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, slamming the pillow on his head. Despite hearing the grunt of displeasure, he pressed on. "C'mon, you promised we're going to ride bike in Central Park. Stop being such a grumpy lazy ass."

"I worked to my bones this week, had to work overtime some days too. I deserve some extra hours of sleep." Sasuke grumbled, his hands blindly groping the edges of his blanket so he could cover his head completely.

"I already gave you those extra hours Sasuke, it's almost 11. Let's get going or it'll get too crowded for us to bike."

He slowly set his upper body straight, eyes still bleary from sleepiness as he yawned discreetly.

Naruto sat next to him, pecking his lips. "Thank you~"

Sasuke seized him, one hand holding his nape as he deepened the kiss. He grunted when Naruto tilted his head, interlocking their mouths perfectly. With a sharp inhale, his hands wound up to hold Naruto's waist, moaning, soaking up all the close warmth. Fingers clutched desperately, as if Naruto was his lifeline. As if Naruto was his sole reason for existence.

There aren't many things he regretted in those lives, but he really wished he realized sooner the feelings he had for Naruto.

The blond man released him with a wide beam, standing up. "C'mon, let's get ready ok?"

Sasuke nodded, kissing the tanned neck as they rushed to their bathroom, laughs and moans peppered on the way.

⏤. ⏤

_Blue eyes widened in a loud gasp, unable to comprehend that he actually went through his ambition. No hesitation, no remorse._

_Tightening his hand into a fist, Sasuke dislodged his arm from that chest with the noise of thousand birds, blood gushing out and marring the orange jumpsuit. Knees sank to the ground, breathing becoming labored and chopped as his energy was sipping away._

_He gazed upon the cloudless sky, contemplating. “Sasuke…”  He uttered out._

_Why couldn't he try to ignore his best friend's call, even if this was going to be his last seconds of life?_

_Summoning every drop of his courage, he stared down. However, his heart wretched painfully, witnessing that his serene blue eyes didn't reveal any resentment, just acceptance._

_“Now that I'm gone…” Naruto muttered. “Keep on moving with your beliefs. Just don't…”  His body fell in a loud thud._

_It was over. It was finally over. His last obstacle was gone, now Sasuke had no one to stand on his way. However, despite wanting to act right away, as he stared Naruto's lifeless eyes, Sasuke puked everything out once the heat of the battle was long over._

_His entire body trembled, tears involuntarily leaking from the seams as he readied to rebuild his broken soul anew. When he regained enough strength, swallowing the bile catching on his tongue, he activated his Magenkyou Sharingan._

_First order of business, kill the kages. Next,_ **_revolution._ **

⏤. ⏤

“Why can't we have some shower sex now?” Sasuke grunted, blissfully spent. He let his fingers comb through the blond head that was still positioned between his legs, until Naruto raised his face, swallowing.

"We've been doing it so much that the bill is going off the roof bastard. Plus we're going to get all sweaty while we're biking, so why even bother?" Naruto hooked the elastic band of his sweatpants, snapping it back into place. "C'mon you lazy ass, time for some food."

"I may need nourishment but I believe you're satiated enough." Sasuke smirked.

"Shut up you pervert." He laughed, shaking his head. "Let's get going, will you? I'll even do the tomato sandwich you love so much."

Naruto started changing from his pajamas to a dryfit t-shirt. However, he wasn't careful enough, letting it graze a tender scar on his chest. It was huge, the size of a fist, positioned right over his heart. He hissed, fanning with the fabric, before placing gingerly.

“Be careful.” Sasuke muttered, helping him out.

“Yeah yeah, don’t worry about it. Man, this scar sucks.” Naruto said, brushing on the raw skin with his fingers. “Back when I was a kid I always thought that it’d heal it up but it never happened.”

“Hn. Maybe we should go to a dermatologist for a professional opinion.” Sasuke said.

“I already went but…” Naruto shrugged. “They couldn’t explain what’s about it. Maybe it’s from an accident I had back when I was a baby, who knows.”

No...it always showed up, every single time. Taunting him, reminding him of his sin.

Sasuke settled with a nonchalant grunt, sipping coffee to hide his turmoil. Naruto noticed his anguish even if he was hiding beneath a cool facade. Placing a reassuring kiss, he caressed Sasuke’s face. “Stop brooding already, this is nothing. Just an annoyance from time to time, but it doesn’t bother me too much.”

It's funny, how he would receive the same assurance, over and over. Sasuke wondered when he'd stop leeching off Naruto's kindness to ignore this guilt wallowing in his heart.

They both made few stretches here and there, before they exited the building, riding their bikes. It was a chilly autumn day, and the temperatures changed drastically often times. While they were waiting the traffic light, Naruto coughed twice, clearing his throat.

Sasuke was next to him in one blink, hand placed on the tanned forehead.

Naruto jokingly slapped it away, grinning. "Jesus Sasuke, it's just a cough, I'm not fucking dying."

"It never hurts to be extra careful." He muttered. "What if you get a cold?"

"I'm as healthy as a bull, stop being so paranoid."

They jumped startled when people honked from behind, promptly riding with the flow.

_I don't want to lose you again..._

⏤. ⏤

_He didn't exactly expected he would see his former teacher so soon. Three tomoes spinned and changed shapes from the reddened iris, as he questioned to himself how did Kakashi manage to get ahold with another Sharingan, though, what shocked him the most was seeing the older man glaring down on him, streaks of tears sliding down his face._

_"You're so disgusting, I can't believe you really did this." Kakashi muttered, his voice somber. "Naruto...Naruto never deserved any of this. He believed in you, even when you were beyond salvation, but you..." He choked a garbled word, unable to finish his sentence._

_"Just go Kakashi. There's no need for me to fight you. And you wouldn't want this to happen, not when I have the tailed beasts, Magenkyou Sharingan and Rinnegan." He declared, already turning around._

_"You really think I'll step aside? No Sasuke, I'll be damned if I ever let you go. I don't care, today either you or me will be left alive from this."_

_Sighing, he unsheathed his sword, readying his battle stance._

⏤. ⏤

Naruto can get easily excitable, especially when it's about gardening. He found a hipster market, with organic products and some unique seeds to cultivate. Sasuke had a hard time convincing him to control his urges in buying everything on sight, talking about saving money and the obvious fact that they couldn’t carry this much weight on their bikes.

Once they arrived at the park, a race between them would start in an instant, one chasing the other to see which one will arrive first at the fountain.

This time Naruto won, which meant Sasuke was responsible to refill their water bottles and buy a popsicle for his husband. He returned to see the blond man laying down on the grass, linked hands placed below his head.

“You seem you have a lot going on in your head. Care to share?” Sasuke mumbled, sitting next to him and offering a bottle.

Naruto accepted it, drinking with gusto. “Hm, I’ve been thinking. Like well, a lot of fans know that I’m married to you and they kept telling me that I should put a LGBT character in my novel you know.”

“Hm, I remember you showed me few tweets directing to you.”

“Yeah. So I called my editor yesterday and well, pitched the idea of putting a gay character becoming part of the main cast and he kept saying that it wasn’t a good idea, that my novel is in the peak of popularity and LGBT characters will only reach a specific niche and etc etc, that I should pay attention to my main consumers and everything⏤”

“Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me.”

“But in the past he gave me some advices that turned out to be pretty good.” Naruto mumbled, raising his upper body as he leaned on Sasuke. “I want to go through this idea, but…”

“You don’t want to hurt his feelings I guess. But you’re the writer Naruto, don’t let other people stifle your creativity. Just warn him beforehand, so he can smooth things over as you’re writing the new book.”

Naruto mused about it for a while before nodding. “Okay, that sounds like a plan. Maybe we'll sketch a rough timeline with interviews and everything.”

“Comic Con is getting close so you can use this opportunity to reveal your idea.”

“Hm...you're right, maybe I should do that.” Naruto smiled, rubbing his nose on Sasuke's shoulder as he kissed on it. “I wouldn't know what my life would be without you.”

“Full of crazy problems, result from your endless pranks, for sure.” Sasuke muttered, standing up and dusting off his legs.

“Hey!” Naruto protested, also getting onto his feet as he followed his husband.

"Let's move before we get too comfortable in this spot."

Stretching his arms, they resumed their activities, riding through the corners on the park. The pathways were getting packed with other cyclists and runners, Sasuke strained his eyes to pick Naruto in the crowd. He noticed his husband parking his bike on the side of the road, resting on a nearby tree.

He soon arrived, curling a teasing smirk. "Wow, tired already? What happened to your limitless stamina?"

Naruto threw a dirty glare, before shrugging. "'S nothing, I just felt like taking a short break. Got a little out of breath but⏤" He stopped mid-sentence when Sasuke's expression closed up alarmed, fingers brushing his face.

"Your nose, it's bleeding." He said, grabbing the cellphone from his pocket at once.

Naruto observed his husband getting agitated, so he placed a hand on his arm in assurance. "Sasuke, it's nothing…" But the blood kept flowing out of his nostrils, unstoppable, making the healthy tan skin gone pale.

"I'm already calling the ambulance⏤Naruto?" Sasuke raised his voice when Naruto slumped his body, falling to the ground. “Naruto!!”

Blood turned cold, Sasuke panicked enveloping his body onto his arms. Fuzzy memories flashed through his eyes, as he clutched Naruto even tighter.

The ambulance soon arrived and Naruto was already resting on the bed in no time, with Sasuke holding his hand, thumb caressing his hand until blue eyes blinked awake.

“Hoooly fuck, my head hurts. What happened?” Naruto hissed, grimacing.

“Don’t move too much, you just passed out.” Sasuke warned, pressing the button to call the nurses.

“Shit, seriously? Sorry I made you worry.”

Sasuke kissed his forehead, combing the blond fringes away. “I’m glad you’re better. But are you hurting anywhere or…?”

“Nah, just...a little weak, I guess.”

Someone knocked the door, so Sasuke opened to reveal grim faced doctors. They gave a curt nod to Naruto, introducing themselves as they ran an overall check-up.

“Mister Uzumaki, I heard that you’re adopted right?” One of the doctors said, reading his file.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow, shrugging. “Yeah, what about it?”

She thinned her lips, placing the papers on her lap. “Unfortunately, I don’t have good news for you…”

⏤.⏤

_Decades have passed, familiar faces withered away. Because of the tailed beasts’ chakra embedded in him, Sasuke managed to retain his youth. In most places people would tremble in his presence, meekly bowing as he passed by. Though in smaller villages, when history had forgotten his accomplishments, Sasuke could use his young appearance to blend in with the crowd._

_This was the reason why he was slightly taken by surprise when he was attacked by another shinobi._

_All main ninja villages had crumbled, but Sasuke could notice that the insignia on her headband used to be part of Leaf village._

_This new foe was excellent in taijutsu, had a good control of genjutsu. Anyone could had their suspicions of her origins when this younger nin destroyed the ground with just one punch, but her emerald eyes were already telling signs where she inherited those talents._

_She was intelligent. Too intelligent for her own good though. And maybe not smart enough to know that this enemy was someone that she should stir far away from her sight, not try to stop him._

_After few skirmishes, it was rather easy immobilizing her, as his iris turned red._

_She soon realized her body didn't answer any of her commands, froze stiff in a dark room. "This is a genjutsu."_

_"Yes. Tsukuyomi." Sasuke answered her mutter, pinwheels twirling dangerously in his eyes._

_She sighed, resigned. "...so I won't be able to dispel it."_

_He nodded, reading the surrounding chakra and assuming that the other shinobis will probably rescue her after two days or so. He was always against unnecessary bloodshed, she was nothing but an insignificant cog in the grand scheme. Maybe he would just terrorize her just a bit, to shake her up, that’s all. In respect of his former comrade, for old times’ sake._

_However, while he was having this internal debate, she studied him minutely, how his haunted eyes didn't fit with the rest of his handsome appearance. She whispered, recalling a distant nostalgia. "You know…granny Sakura told us about you. How you used to be her teammate, that you are member of a possessed clan and you strayed far away from the right path.”_

_Sasuke scoffed when he heard her speech, too jaded to waste time and give a scathing reply to her._

_She followed through his actions, her dark strands of hair shading her green eyes. "Whenever she told us your tale, we never really understood why she hammered over and over about never betraying his friends or we'd regret it forever in our lives. But now...looking at you...I get it."_

_He already lived too much to even be the slightest affected, though it was becoming unnerving being subjected her scrutiny, a complete stranger to boot. Somehow though, it almost looked like she could see through his unflappable mask. As if she could witness every single time he recalled the opaque cerulean eyes, every nightmare with his hand piercing through Naruto’s chest, warm blood pouring out from it._

_(Or when he would, hopeful, visit a certain village founded by a former ally, now filled with red-haired habitants.)_

_Somehow the jutsu read through his turmoil, hundreds of kunais were summoned all around her, as every limb was tied around a pole._

_Fear flickered in her eyes, as many other shinobis had once before, without fail. She still managed to retain her gaze upon him, murmuring as those weapons pierced through her body._

_"You miserable soul."_

⏤.⏤

Naruto had a hereditary autoimmune disease.

The hired detectives found his mother, but she died from heroin overdose. Grandparents were also deceased. Father unknown.

There were several cousins that thankfully agreed to do some exams, unfortunately none were compatible with what was required. Sasuke found an experimental treatment, but located in another country.

Few months later, the couple would regularly go to the hospital twice per week. It was a bothersome requirement, however Sasuke helped dutifully, even staying the whole night with Naruto if it was needed.

“I feel… like I owe you an apology.” Naruto mumbled, their bodies tangled on bed while they were watching a movie.

Sasuke blinked, muttering. “What do you mean by that?”

“My disease; it made you move out of the country, search for a new job, everything. You can't see your family often ‘cuz of it too.”

Sasuke scoffed, tilting his head so he could bury his nose on the coarse blond hair. “I don't mind Naruto, it's all for the sake to improve your health.”

Frowning, Naruto turned around to face him, mouth opening in protest. “But⏤!”

“Besides, we made our vows, right? Together, in poverty or wealth, health or sickness until death do us apart.”

In long minutes, only the noises from the TV reverberated in the room, blue light reflecting Naruto's contemplative eyes. Fingers caressed the alabaster cheeks, before lips bridged the gap, tongue already poking with insistence and swallowing his grunt. The slow, tender touches began pressing in with increasing lust, that had Naruto straddling him, hands gripping the pale wrists. One specific tilt of pelvis had Sasuke tearing off the hospital gown, harsh breathing cutting through the long silence. Soon they became one, their undulating bodies eclipsed the moonlight glow, fingers biting on the tanned skin.

He couldn't get tired from this sight, watching and drinking every detail of Naruto’s orgasm, the skin flushed in pleasure, the shuddering gasp, darkened eyes shutting in bliss. It made every single pain and hardship all so worth it.

His soul was old and weary, but as long as he could have Naruto, just like this, so tightly surrounding him, for Sasuke it was akin being submerged in pure elixir.

They rested afterwards, the same movie rolling on the screen once again. Naruto sighed happily, his body curled on Sasuke's, linking their hands. He gazed their wedding rings, murmuring wistfully. “Until death do us apart huh…”

“I guess, unless we forgot to read some fine print in our contract.”

“I’m sure the contract also shows that you should provide me monthly supply of Ramen!”

“Not a chance.” Sasuke shook his head. “Maybe once you’re cured. For a year.”

“Cheapskate.” Naruto yawned, rubbing his face on Sasuke’s chest.

Sasuke kept absentmindedly combing through the golden colored hair, muttering. “But I’m sure that whatever happens...Not even death will separate us."

Naruto snorted. "Hah. That sounds incredibly romantic but also kinda creepy. Sometimes you make me really wonder why the fuck I’m married to you."

“You don’t really have a choice dumbass.” He mockingly flickered Naruto’s forehead, pinching his cheeks. “After all, we’re destined to be together.”

Rolling his eyes, Naruto adjusted himself on the bed, dragging the blanket over their bodies. “Alright Romeo, that's enough cheesy poetry for today. I'm gonna sleep, ‘m fucking tired.”

“Hn.”

Sasuke kept observing Naruto in his slumber, forcing his eyes stay wide awake even though his body protested in response. Sleep was something he always dreaded to do, because most times his nightmares would be plagued by his past, constantly reminding him about everything, swallowing him in unbearable guilt.

When he finally gave in to his weariness, _he remembered…_

_Hundreds years have passed. It felt like it moved in a blur, at the same time it seemed that it dragged for an eternity. He forgot whatever geography used to be back when he was genuinely 17 years old, or how the cities used to look like too._

_He mused that he…. was reasonably satiated. After eliminating most bad elements, hungry power shinobis and corrupt officers, he instilled enough fear that the following generations wouldn’t do any wrongdoing, not consciously without shuddering his mystical presence. Everyone had forgotten his appearance, but he stayed in the public conscience, so that was good enough, he guessed. There’d be some occasional slips, though he had finally gave in that it was impossible to cover everything indefinitely. He was becoming fatigued._

_Mountains, rivers, cities would have changed. Humanity will always stay the same._

_Also, he had his own objective now, too focused to really bother himself hunting for another sleazy shinobi. He already dismantled big criminal structures, he didn’t want to waste his time in small cumbersome details._

_Decades were concentrated in searching and studying. Listening to rumors and trying all kinds of jutsus. When he reached to the top of a mountain, unsurprised, he was suddenly pulled to a white place and saw the man he had sought out for so long._

_Rikkudou Senin._

_The old man also looked unflapped by his presence, sitting cross legged with a disapproving frown. “I followed you with my eyes for so many years, but honestly expected that you would give up in the pursuit.”_

_“I need some answers, and you’re the only one who owe me all explanations.”_

_“Owe?” Hagoromo echoed in disbelief. “After everything you have done, I owe you nothing.”_

_“What I have done was the right thing. I brought peace to the world.”_

_“By soiling your hands with blood. Countless people’s blood.” Nostrils flared, the old man released a breath with a shudder. “Naruto’s blood.”_

_“It was necessary.” He insisted. “Because of me, history changed for the better, everyone who had done wrong were punished with justice that it was already due.”_

_“Justice?!” Hagoromo raised his voice, every ounce of composure gone. “You killed thousands, maybe hundred thousands just to satisfy your skewed sense of justice how ever you liked! How can you claim that you’re_ **_justice_ ** _when you only looked through your own point of view?!”_

_“We’re not discussing my methods when you can see with your own eyes that I succeeded where you have failed!” Sasuke shouted. “The world is better now, is safer! That’s all that matters to me!”_

_The sage closed his eyes with a frown, in an effort to control his temper. Once manageable, he opened again, zeroing on the last Uchiha._ _"Well then. Now that you have fulfilled your ambitions. Or at least you believed you did so. Are you happy now? Are you content?" He muttered, hands daintily resting on his legs. “I hardly doubt that this would be the case, or else you wouldn’t be frantically searching for my whereabouts, wanting to talk to me.”_

_Sasuke tightened his fists, clattering his teeth. Usually his pride would get the best of him, but he was far too desperate to care. “Where’s Naruto? Hundreds of years have passed and I haven’t seen his reincarnation yet.”_

His soul ached, called for his other half.

_The Rikkudou Senin shook his head in pity despondent, heaving a loud sigh._

_“Tell me!”_

_“I sealed his soul.”_

_Sharingan flared to life. “What?!” He snarled._

_"I had enough." The sage sighed, closing his eyes under the folds of resentment and resignation. "I'm tired of burying my children over and over, seeing one murdering the other. When Naruto was gone in the physical plane, I caught his soul before he’d reincarnate and now he’s here, with me.”_

_Sasuke grabbed the hilt of his sword, preparing his battle stance. “Let him go free.”_ Give him back to me.

_“I’ll never.” The older man hissed. “Just so I’ll give you another opportunity to slaughter him? I’d be insane to let this happen.”_

_Sasuke bit his lower lip, conceding. “I won’t do that, ever again. This time, when he reincarnates, I’ll⏤”_

_“Brainwash him with your twisted beliefs and use him like a weapon? Like I’d also let that happen.”_

_“You misunderstand. Sure, I’ll open his eyes⏤”_

_“That’s enough!” Hagoromo’s chakra bursted out, clashing with his own as he took few steps backwards. “Get out of here now!”_

_“Not without Naruto’s soul!”_

_“Then you’re going to regret it, my son.”_

_Sasuke swallowed dryly, knitting his eyebrows in determination. He was not going to back down, whoever his enemy might be._

_It was a battle of epic proportions, chakras clashing as they used their abilities in full power. The skirmish was still contained in Hagoromo’s dimension but sometimes distant noises of destruction thundered from a stray jutsu._

_Sasuke had no luxury to waste a second to recover, using everything in his arsenal and countering anything thrown in his direction. Maybe it was some minutes, maybe few hours, but actually long decades have passed battling him. Sasuke mused the irony having to fight against his long lost father from previous past life, when he never managed to rebel against his biological one._

_The most powerful shinobis of the world, seasoned fighters that were equal in power, so the battle continued dragging on. But in one split second, Sasuke saw an opening and seized it. His eyes widened in terror, now colored black, when blood splattered on his neck, the tailed beasts’ chakra sucking out of his body._

_The close proximity gave him an opportunity that he didn’t let it escape, using a jutsu and tying Naruto’s soul to him._

_Hagoromo wheezed flabbergasted, powerless to undo this situation. He huffed. “Unbelievable.”_

_Sasuke tried to activate his doujutsu, but without limitless chakra, his reserves were too low to risk it._

_“Fine, if this is how you want to do. Naruto will reincarnate now that you tied his soul to yours forever. But I'll also make sure I'll do my part."_

_Sasuke narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “What do you mean by that?”_

_“You’re a danger to be anywhere close to him. You two will continue the cycle of reincarnation, but I’ll stop you, no matter what.”_

_“...and how are you going to do that…?” Sasuke grunted out, his energies depleting._

_“....with whatever means necessary.” Hagoromo declared, before Sasuke’s vision have gone black and he collapsed entirely._

For obvious reasons, Sasuke wouldn’t remember how he had died but he was positioned in a very steep mountain, after all. And thus…Another life was born. A new, hopefully a better family welcomed him.

When he grew up enough, his memories from his previous life slowly returned. However, Sasuke came to realize that he was unable to perform any ninjutsu, genjutsu or anything like it. And chakra became something related to Indian culture, a country different from his past world. Perhaps he was expelled from his previous dimension? He would never know. That didn’t matter.

However, the sage kept true to his word. The first time Sasuke saw Naruto, walking idly on the other side of the street, a truck ran over him, killing him on sight. Mouth open in a silent scream, Sasuke witnessed in excruciating detail the body crumbling easily like a porcelain doll.

The next life, at first he attempted to steer far away from Naruto. But ignoring him was almost like ignoring the sun, his soul seeking that natural pull Sasuke had towards him. So he watched from afar the blond man doing his chores, feeling like some disturbing stalker. He managed to talk with him several months before Naruto died from another tragic accident.

In another terrible joke of fate, their parents became steadfast friends so Sasuke had Naruto interacting with him while they were teenagers. Years later, Naruto died from some bullshit, unknown and incurable disease.

At this point of the story, Sasuke realized that what he had with Naruto weren’t purely platonic, it breached way over friendship. He sought the blond man, craving these urgencies to be satiated and being comforted that Naruto returned these feelings.

In ten blissful years, they had a relationship that Sasuke could summarize as perfect. They were so in tune with each other, not one piece outside of its hinges. Sasuke made sure Naruto was completely melded into him, claiming his body, his heart, his mind, his soul.

Sasuke was blessed with such serenity that almost made him forgot about their predicament. He was roughly reminded of it when Naruto saved him from a hate attack, an armed assailant began shooting everywhere in an LGBTQ pride parade.

It was the first time in long millennia that Sasuke had faced the consequences of his actions at last. Clutching Naruto’s dead body as Sasuke apologized to him over and over, Sasuke went crazy with grief, regretting for reaching in this state of affairs, hating being trapped in this endless hell.

Maybe the first time he should have hesitated, dispelled the Chidori. Maybe he should have listened to Naruto, talked through and reached a consensus. But now, everything was all too late.

He couldn’t even glance Naruto’s face during his funeral, tears pouring out and succumbing him in this bottomless melancholia. Now that he had finally tasted the joy only Naruto could bring him, he couldn’t live without this anymore.

But then…Sasuke reached an epiphany, his brain feverish.

It's okay, he could meet Naruto again. Another life, he would see him again. Ten years with him was completely worth every second of it. He just had to do it one more time.

Another life. Ten years.

Another life. Ten years.

Another life. Eleven years.

Another life.

Twelve years…………………………………………………

………………………………………………… Another life.

This lifetime Sasuke managed 15 years of happy matrimony, treating Naruto as if he was made of glass, prone to shatter in any given time.

Sasuke had to admit that he should…stop abusing this system. The recollections of all varied reincarnations kept mixing in his brain, taxing his body. Also, it was getting increasingly difficult to pinpoint Naruto’s location, before Sasuke could do so as easy like breathing.

Sometimes he wondered why Rikkudou Senin’s curse were weakening in each reincarnation. An optimistic side of his imagined that he had taken pity on them and would leave him and Naruto alone one day. Sasuke scoffed at the idea, remembering the deep gash he left in Hagoromo’s chest. Perhaps the old man no longer had this much power as before.

A fitting end to the last ninjas of this world.

They were currently waiting to start another battery of exams, Sasuke really hoped that the technology would be able to save Naruto’s life. They were directed to a sterile room, Naruto clutched his hand, murmuring. “Can you stay with me till this is over?”

“Of course.” Sasuke answered, after he received a nod from the doctor.

Naruto quirked a small smile, patting his hand. The medical team asked him to lie on the bed as the blond man obeyed them, their hands still connected.

Seeing his husband’s somber expression, Naruto said. "Hey Sasuke. I gotta tell the weirdest dream I had yesterday." Naruto grinned, while the nurses were preparing the equipment for another biopsy. "We were kids and…listen to this, we were ninjas.”

Sasuke stiffened in an instant, mind scrambling to keep his cool. Naruto couldn’t properly see his face from his position, which thankfully worked in his favor because or else, he would see graphite eyes widening in terror. He managed a grunt as his husband continue describing, oblivious.

“Don't you dare snort right now, hear me out. We were training to climb some tall trees and we spent the whole night trying to do this. Like…channeling some energy on our feet or something."

Despite the dread invading his body, Sasuke couldn’t help but let out a short chuckle, lost in those reminiscences. It felt like yesterday…even if it happened long, long time ago.

"When we managed to go to the tallest tree…I was sweating buckets but I was so glad that I succeeded doing this. And you, well, you were the usual bastard self but you smiled to me and…" Naruto winced from the invasive pain, while one of the nurses injected some anesthesia.

Yes…he remembered it quite well. His heart twisted from that painful nostalgia.

"It was such a weird dream…I mean, aside the fact that we're friggin' ninjas I…” Naruto mumbled, slowly closing his eyelids. "It felt so real somehow. I dunno. I was so happy that you were there next to me. I think that in that second, I started falling in love with you."

Trembled hands raised to touch his cheek, fingertips brushing his face almost as if Sasuke was nothing but a mirage.

"So weird right…" He breathed out. "If only that moment could last forever…"

⏤.⏤

AN: Why write a happy ending in Rite of Passage when you can write an angsty fic to kill you inside, amirite. (despite torturing you guys, I hope you'll review lol)


End file.
